A feminist and inclusive perspective on Bill C-50 – Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act BRIEF SUBMITTED JOINTLY BY The David Suzuki Foundation, The National Association of Women and the Law, and Oxfam Canada December 2023

Page 2 of 23 List of Recommendations Recommendation #1: Include individuals on the Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council with expertise on women’s rights and women’s economic contributions in the labour market, including expertise on the care economy. Recommendation #2: Include individuals on the Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council with expertise on the impact of climate change on women, 2SLGBTQ+ people and other vulnerable populations. Recommendation #3: Require meaningful consultations with women’s rights organizations and advocates, including women’s trade union representatives and women’s committees.

Recommendation #4: Recognize the gendered impacts of the climate crisis and the importance of addressing violence against women. Recommendation #5: Include representation of migrant worker organizations on the Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council. Recommendation #6: Stipulate that the Government of Canada is committed to seeing all individuals in Canada benefit from and contribute to the building of a net-zero economy. Recommendation #7: Integrate all International Labour Organization (“ILO”) Conventions on fundamental principles and rights at work that Canada has ratified.

Recommendation #8: Expand guiding principles to include (1) rights at work, (2) restriction of pollution from fossil fuels in frontline communities, (3) safeguarding of intergenerational equity, and (4) eradication of poverty. Recommendation #9: Incorporate principles of sustainable jobs and sustainable development and the right to a healthy environment. Recommendation #10: Replace the term “economic growth” with “sustainable development” in the legislation. Recommendation # 11: Include animal agriculture as a key sector that Canada should transition away from, alongside other polluting industries.

Recommendation #12: Strengthen the accountability framework within the legislation by requiring regular engagement with marginalized groups, gender- and sex-disaggregated data collection, and public reporting in an accessible manner.

Page 3 of 23 Overview The devastating impacts of the climate crisis on people and the planet are not gender neutral. Yet women’s rights and voices are usually left out or disregarded in climate-related policy-making processes, resulting in climate solutions that are inequitable, patriarchal and fail to address women’s aspirations and priorities.

In it important that Bill C-50, which is Canada’s proposed legislative framework to support the “creation of sustainable jobs for workers and economic growth in a net-zero economy”, avoid these pitfalls by ensuring a feminist, intersectional and equitable approach to just transition. To make Bill C-50 more gender-inclusive, we recommend: 1. Ensuring that women’s work, including their work in the care economy, is adequately understood and addressed to reduce gender inequalities in paid and unpaid work in Canada; 2.

Addressing the gendered impact of the climate crisis by engaging in meaningful consultations, listening to experts, and recognizing the link between the climate crisis and violence against women; 3. Protecting and including migrant workers, who are an important part of Canada’s economy, through a human rights-based approach; 4. Integrating fundamental principles and rights at work recognized in ILO (International Labour Organization) conventions ratified by Canada; 5. Aligning the Bill and Canada’s just transition with sustainable development goals; 6.

Ensuring strong monitoring, transparency, and accountability in the implementation of Canada’s just transition plans. Table of contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Why Canada needs to take a feminist approach to just transition .................................................. 6 1. Women’s work and the care economy .................................................................................... 7 2.

The gendered impact of the climate crisis ............................................................................... 9 3. Migrant workers and workers outside of Canada .................................................................. 10 4. Fundamental principles and rights at work............................................................................ 13 5. Sustainable development ....................................................................................................... 14 6.

Monitoring, transparency, and accountability ....................................................................... 16 Detailed proposed amendments .................................................................................................... 17 About our organizations ................................................................................................................ 23

Page 4 of 23 Introduction The Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act is Canada’s proposed legislative framework to support the “creation of sustainable jobs for workers and economic growth in a net-zero economy.” The bill reflects Canada’s domestic approach to international objectives for a “just transition” of the workforce towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all as elaborated under the International Labour Organization (ILO) Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all and the Paris Agreement,1 in the European Climate Law,2 and in several countries’ national climate change framework laws.3 Notably, Bill C-50 refers to the ILO Guidelines, endorsed by the ILO Governing Body in 2015.

The just transition is a concept that emerged from North American trade unions in the 1980s and over time has come to refer to “a deliberate effort to plan for and invest in a transition to environmentally and socially sustainable jobs, sectors and economies.”4 Since trade unions obtained constituency status under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2008, just transition has become an integral part of the Convention of the Parties (COPs) and was first referred to in the COP16 Cancun Agreements.5 It was also referenced in Decisions from COP17 and COP18.

Decisions from COP26 and COP27 have further elaborated on the just transition concept: Paragraph 20 of the Glasgow Climate Pact – reiterated in the Sharm El Sheikh Implementation plan – calls upon the Parties to: accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems, including by rapidly scaling up the deployment of clean power generation and energy efficiency measures, including accelerating efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, while providing targeted 1 ILO, “Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all” (Switzerland, International Labour Organization, 2015); Paris Agreement

preamble: ‘[t]aking into account the imperatives of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs in accordance with nationally defined development priorities’ from Paris Agreement, being an Annex to the Report of the Conference of the parties on its twenty-first session, held in parties from 30 November to 13 December 2015 --Addendum Part two: Action taken by the Conference of the parties at its twenty-first session, 12 December 2015, UN Doc FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, 55 ILM 740. 2 European Climate Law, Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulations (EC) No 401/2009 and (EU) 2018/1999 (European Climate Law) [2021] OJ L 243, arts 4(5)(

c) and 9. 3 Scotland: The Climate Change Act 2019; Colombia: L. 2169, diciembre 22, 2021 Diario Oficial No. 51.896 de 2021; Fiji: Climate Change Act 2021, s 5 (f); Ireland: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, s 4(8)(k); Portugal: Lei n.º 98/2021 de 31 de dezembro, art 69; South Korea: Framework Act On Carbon Neutrality And Green Growth For Coping With Climate Crisis, Sep. 24, 2021; Spain: Ley 7/2021, de 20 de mayo, de cambio climático y transición energética; South Africa: Climate Change Bill 9 of 2022. 4 OECD, Just Transition Centre, Just Transition: A Report for the OECD (2017), online: <https://www.oecd.org/environment/cc/g20-climate/collapsecontents/Just-Transition-Centre-report-just- transition.pdf>. 5 UNFCCC, “Decision 1/CP.16, The Cancun Agreements: Outcome of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention” (15 March 2011) UN Doc FCCC/CP/2010/7/Add.1

section I. “A shared vision for long-term cooperative action” at para 10.

Page 5 of 23 support to the poorest and most vulnerable in line with national circumstances and recognizing the need for support towards a just transition.6 The Sharm-el-Sheikh Implementation Plan emphasises that: just and equitable transition encompasses pathways that include energy, socioeconomic, workforce and other dimensions, all of which must be based on nationally defined development priorities and include social protection so as to mitigate potential impacts associated with the transition.7 The international dimension of a just transition is underscored in the COP26 political declaration, signed by Canada and other governments of the Global North.

The declaration recognizes their “role in working to ensure that no one is left behind in the transition to a net zero and climate resilient future”, and provides that “all countries must benefit from the opportunities offered by sustainable and just transitions”, which should also include “access to modern technologies, capacity building and finance, as well as policy solutions to manage transitions in a just and inclusive way”.8 The same declaration recognizes “the effects of climate change disproportionately affect those in poverty, and can exacerbate economic, gender and other social inequalities, including those resulting from discriminatory practices based upon race and ethnicity”.9 It also encompasses a governmental commitment to gender equality, racial equality and social cohesion; protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples; disability inclusion; intergenerational equity and young people; the promotion of women and girls; marginalised persons’ leadership and involvement in decision-making; recognition of the value of their knowledge and leadership; and support for the collective climate action of diverse social groups.10 The Paris Agreement acknowledges that “Parties should, when taking action to address climate change, respect, promote and consider their respective obligations on human rights, the right to health, the rights of Indigenous peoples, local communities, migrants, children, persons with disabilities and people in vulnerable situations and the right to development, as well as gender equality, empowerment of women and intergenerational equity”.11 Similarly, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sixth assessment report points to a number of core elements of a just transition such as rights at work, decent jobs, fairness in energy access and use and gender-specific policies that promote equitable outcomes, among others.12 6 UNFCCC, “Decision 1/CP.26, Glasgow Climate Pact” (8 March 2022) UN Doc FCCC/CP/2021/12/Add.1 (2021) at para 20; UNFCCC, “Decision -/CP.27, Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan (advance unedited version)” at para 13; and UNFCCC, “Decision -/CMA.4 Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan (advance unedited version)” at para 28. 7 UNFCCC, “Decision -/CP.27, Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan’ (advance unedited version)” at para 29. 8 UN Climate Change Conference UK 2021, “Supporting the conditions for a just transition internationally” (4 November 2021) at the COP 26 in Glasgow, online: <https://ukcop26.org/supporting-the-conditions-for-a-just- transition-internationally/>. 9 Ibid. 10 Ibid. 11 Paris Agreement, being an Annex to the Report of the Conference of the parties on its twenty -first session, held in parties from 30 November to 13 December 2015--Addendum Part two: Action taken by the Conference of the parties at its twenty-first session, 12 December 2015, UN Doc FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, 55 ILM 740, online:: <https://unfccc.int/files/meetings/paris_nov_2015/application/pdf/paris_agreement_english_.pdf > 12 IPCC, Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change (Working Group III), p. 473.

Page 6 of 23 The Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act is the legal mechanism by which Canada will implement its international just transition obligations. Thus, substantively and procedurally, the legislative framework must support and enable the achievement of international objectives for a just transition that Canada has endorsed under the Paris Agreement. Bill C-50 should equally reflect a legislative framework that supports the implementation of the ILO 2015 Guidelines endorsed by Canada, which are referred to in the

preamble of Bill C-50, in its very first paragraphs.

Several policy areas outlined by the ILO Just Transition Guidelines include strategies and guidelines of importance to gender equality specific outcomes, including: skills development for addressing occupational segregation in a green economy, care and social protection policies to ensure safety and the transformation of negative gendered social norms, and quality jobs that ensure safe and healthy working conditions as well as equal opportunity and treatment.13 Why Canada needs to take a feminist approach to just transition The devastating impacts of the climate crisis on people and the planet are not gender neutral.

A growing body of evidence, and the Paris Agreement itself, underscore the necessity of a just transition that is gender-responsive, just, and low carbon. Women and girls have less access to resources and, in many contexts, are excluded from virtually all key decision-making processes, including those about the just transition. Women’s rights and voices are usually left out or disregarded in climate-related policy-making processes, resulting in climate solutions that are inequitable, patriarchal and fail to address women’s aspirations and priorities.

It is critical that any legislation or policy frameworks in Canada apply a gender-lens to ensure that women have a seat at the table and are included in the decent work agenda, that potential negative impacts are known up front and mitigated, and that Canada is accountable to workers and diverse equity-seeking populations. A feminist approach to climate justice is about challenging the economic, social and political systems that have created the climate crisis, and holding countries, companies and individuals accountable for their climate commitments.

A just transition must challenge the structural underpinnings of gender inequality and the economy, and reconsider how economies are organized, valued, and measured. A just transition must include addressing the inequalities between the global North and South, the legacy of colonialism, and the centrality of care in our economic systems. A feminist approach is about empowering women and other equity-seeking groups to strengthen their resilience to climate change, while advancing their leadership in shaping solutions and ensuring that climate policies are inclusive and fair.

Without a feminist approach, we risk replicating or exacerbating: • the gender wage gap; • occupational segregation; 13 For policy guidance on applying the ILO Just Transition Principles for gender equality, see https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---emp_ent/documents/publication/wcms_860569.pdf.

Page 7 of 23 • unequal divisions of unpaid care and domestic work between men and women; • women’s limited access to social protection; and • the exclusion of rural women from natural resource management. Fundamentally, without a feminist just transition, we risk leaving half of Canada’s population behind. As such, a just transition away from fossil fuels must challenge new industries to also transition away from prevailing power structures and a labour force that is segregated by occupation and gender.

Special attention should be paid to intersectional realities, particularly with regards to the intersections of gender, race and class disparities. A gender-just transition must further take into account the role of women’s unpaid care work, as well as women’s informal work, both of which in essence subsidize our current economic system and are financially unrecognized or undervalued.

Legislation should require both private sector stakeholders and the government to engage in meaningful consultation with women’s rights organizations and advocates, including women’s trade union representatives and women’s committees. Any legislation must take into consideration the broader policy environment.

For example, a whole of government approach would consider other human rights standards and guidelines of the Government of Canada, including those found in the conventions of the International Labour Organization, the Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Paris Agreement. In light of those considerations, we make the following six proposals to amend Bill C-50 and make it more gender-inclusive. 1.

Women’s work and the care economy Recommendation #1: Include individuals on the Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council with expertise on women’s rights and women’s economic contributions in the labour market, including expertise on the care economy. The relationship between climate change and the care economy has been largely neglected in climate policy-making. However, climate change stands to exacerbate the existing care crisis both in Canada and globally.

The social and economic impacts of COVID-19 have reaffirmed that care work is essential to the functioning of society and is the basis of all subsequent economic activity. The 2023 (eighth) report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change notes that record temperatures and other climate change impacts are taking a devastating toll on the health of already vulnerable groups reliant on caregivers, emphasizing that “[a]dults older than 65 years and infants younger than 1 year, for whom extreme heat can be particularly life-threatening, are

Page 8 of 23 now exposed to twice as many heatwave days as they would have experienced in 1986–2005.”14 The report further notes that health must be placed at the forefront of climate action, and that immediate systemic changes “must go beyond the treatment of the health symptoms of climate change, to put particular focus on primary prevention and rapidly accelerating mitigation efforts across all sectors, and ensure that climate change impacts stay within the bounds of the adaptive capacity of health and health-supporting systems.”15 With health being featured as a core COP theme for the very first time at COP28 in Dubai (UAE), it is clear that climate change is increasingly being recognized as a human health crisis, and that consequently, it must equally be approached as a care crisis.

Climate change stands to worsen the care crisis in several ways: • climate change will likely increase the total care requirements of society; • climate change will likely make the work of providing care more difficult; • if poorly designed, efforts to address climate change stand to compound the challenges experienced by those responsible for care work.16 Care work, whether paid or unpaid, is primarily realized by women, including immigrant women: Care workers in Canada, such as child care providers, live-in caregivers, personal support workers, as well as those working in health and education, make up nearly one-fifth (19%) of the total employed population.

Women represent the majority of paid care workers, accounting for three-quarters of all care workers in 2016. Many of these jobs, such as nurses, aides, orderlies and personal support workers are more likely to be held by women and immigrants earning low wages and working part time.17 Care workers face serious pay equity issues, especially in old age.

Migrant care workers “are more likely to be employed after the age of 65 than other immigrant women, but have a lower and declining total income as they age”.18 In the context of climate change, it is important to recognize the degree to which care-related sectors generally have lower GHG emissions, captured in the notion of “care jobs as green 14 Romanello, Marina et al. “The 2023 Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: The Imperative for a Health-Centred Response in a World Facing Irreversible Harms.” The Lancet (British edition) (2023).

Accessible online at: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)01859-7/fulltext 15 Ibid at 4. 16 MacGregor, Sherilyn, Seema Arora-Jonsson, Maeve Cohen, and James Morrissey (eds.). 2022. “Caring in a changing climate: Centering care work in climate action.” Oxfam Research Brief. Accessible online at: https://webassets.oxfamamerica.org/media/documents/2022_02_OXF_Caring_in_a_Changing_Climate_FINAL.pdf ?_gl=1*1ktklte*_ga*MjEzNzQxOTc4MS4xNzAwMDIxNzQ4*_ga_R58YETD6XK*MTcwMDAyMTc0OC4xLjA uMTcwMDAyMTc0OC42MC4wLjA. 17 Farhana Khanam et al., “Women working in paid care occupations”

(2022) Statistics Canada, Insights on Canadian Society 75-006-X. Accessible online at: <https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006- x/2022001/article/00001-eng.htm> 18 Naomi Lightman and Hamid Akbary, “Working more and making less: Canada needs to protect immigrant women care workers as they age”, The Conversation, February 21, 2023. Accessible online at: <https://theconversation.com/working-more-and-making-less-canada-needs-to-protect-immigrant-women-care- workers-as-they-age-199240>

Page 9 of 23 jobs”. Low- or no-emissions job strategies and investments must be included in the just transition. Similarly, it is important to recognize the value of “traditional” knowledge, notably Indigenous knowledge, gained via acts of environmental care, in the development of sustainable and effective climate interventions.

There is scope to integrate these approaches into climate initiatives, specifically by: ● making investments in physical infrastructure and technologies that simultaneously address climate change and reduce the number of hours spent on unpaid care work; ● making investments in social infrastructure and support mechanisms that simultaneously collectivize care work and address climate vulnerability; ● pursuing climate initiatives in tandem with efforts to advance norm change and tackle the ways care work is feminized, individualized, and invisibilized in our society; and ● placing the needs and voice of carers at the centre of program and policy design.

Legislation must provide the framework to ensure that emerging regulations, incentivize, and policies catalyze a gender-just transition.

Options include: ● establishing a gender quota for the renewable energy sector; ● ensuring the full inclusion of women and other equity-seeking groups in training, retention and governance; ● providing an inclusive work environment that includes child care, work-life balance, and family friendly spaces; ● ensuring prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse in all industries; ● promoting a green jobs strategy that includes care jobs as green jobs, and that valorizes other occupationally segregated, low-emissions, and sustainable employment opportunities; ● making space for traditional knowledge and the expertise of those who care for the environment in just transition initiatives.

For all of these reasons, it is important that the bill give adequate consideration to particular needs and contributions of women workers, and that the just transition be guided by people with expertise regarding the care economy. 2. The gendered impact of the climate crisis Recommendation #2: Include individuals on the Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council with expertise on the impact of climate change on women, 2SLGBTQ+ people and other vulnerable populations.

Recommendation #3: Require meaningful consultations with women’s rights organizations and advocates, including women’s trade union representatives and women’s committees.

Page 10 of 23 Recommendation #4: Recognize the gendered impacts of the climate crisis and the importance of addressing violence against women. Women are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. Worldwide, 80% of climate migrants are women.19 Women are 14 times more likely to die during a climate disaster.20 Indigenous, racialized and disabled women in particular are disproportionately harmed by systems of poverty, making them more vulnerable to the consequences of the climate crisis.

Women also experience an epidemic of gender-based violence, which is aggravated by the climate crisis and extractive industries. Violence against women increases during climate-related disasters, like floods and wildfires, due to increased stress, economic instability and disruptions in infrastructures and services. Moreover, resource extraction projects, sometimes known as “man camps”,21 worsen the climate crisis and are linked with increases in gender-based violence. Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people are disproportionately the victims of the increase of gendered violence.

As the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls explained, “[r]esource extraction projects can drive violence against Indigenous women in several ways, including issues related to transient workers, harassment and assault in the workplace, rotational shift work, substance abuse and addictions, and economic insecurity”.22 Canada’s just transition must be informed by expertise regarding these gendered impacts of the climate crisis. At the same time, women have invaluable expertise that can help build resilience and mitigate the consequences of the climate crisis.

Women, Indigenous women in particular, have been at the forefront of the resistance to the unfettered extraction of fossil fuels and extractive industries at the expense of human rights.23 Globally, women are land defenders, activists, conservers of biodiversity, and drivers of equitable feminist solutions to the climate crisis. The Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council should benefit from this expertise. 3.

Migrant workers and workers outside of Canada Recommendation #5: Include representation of migrant worker organizations on the Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council. 19 OHCHR, “Climate change exacerbates violence against women and girls” (12 July 2022) . Accessible online at <https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/07/climate-change-exacerbates-violence-against-women-and-girls>. 20 UNDP, “Women are hit hardest in disasters, so why are responses too often gender -blind?” (24 March 2022).

Accessible online at: <https://www.undp.org/blog/women-are-hit-hardest-disasters-so-why-are-responses-too-often- gender-blind>. 21 National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Volume 1a , (Canada: The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, 2019) at 58 5. 22 Ibid. 23 Eriel Deranger, The Climate Emergency & the Colonial Response, Policy Brief Issue 102, July 2, 2021.

Accessible online at: https://yellowheadinstitute.org/2021/07/02/climate-emergency-colonial-response/.

Page 11 of 23 Recommendation #6: Stipulate that the Government of Canada is committed to seeing all individuals in Canada benefit from and contribute to the building of a net- zero economy.

Bill C-50 affirms that “the Government of Canada is committed to seeing Canadians benefit from and contribute to the building of a net-zero economy;” and “to collaborating with Canadian workers, Indigenous peoples, trade unions, employers, industry, business, communities and provinces and territories, which all have a role to play in building a net-zero economy.” The emphasis on Canadians and Canadian workers leaves out a significant number of individuals that make up Canada’s workforce yet do not possess Canadian citizenship.

As noted by Statistics Canada: Immigration has always been the driving force behind Canada's labour supply. But with job vacancies in late 2021 80% higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic and the working age population aging, high levels of immigration will be even more critical to the labour market. . . . In 2021, recent immigrants (in Canada 10 years or less) made up 8% of the total employed labour force, but accounted for 13% in the accommodation and food services sector, 11% in the professional services sector, and 10% in the manufacturing and transportation sectors.

Temporary foreign workers . . . have become an integral part of the labour force.24 Furthermore, Canada relies on temporary migrant workers, many of whom are women from the Philippines, to meet a growing demand for care work. However, these workers face limitations on workers’ rights and freedoms and are often subject to low wages and limited protection.25 In- home care workers are in particular risk of abuse and exploitation due to poor regulations and invisibility.26 Additionally, migrant workers face specific barriers to health care and abortion services27.

Given the critical contributions to the Canadian economy made by temporary foreign workers and permanent residents in Canada, as well as workforces in other countries linked to Canadian- 24 Statistics Canada, Immigration as a source of labour supply (Ottawa: The Daily, 2022). Accessible online at <https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/daily-quotidien/220622/dq220622c-eng.pdf?st=3B2iW3qW>. 25Rishika Wadehra, “Equal rights for migrant care workers: The case for immigration policy transformation” (2021), Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives at 4.

Accessible online at: https://policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2021/10/Equal%20rights%2 0for%20migrant%20care%20workers.pdf 26 Rishika Wadehra, “Equal rights for migrant care workers: The case for immigration policy transformation ”, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (October 2022).

Accessible online at: <https://policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2021/10/Equal%20rights% 20for%20migrant%20care%20workers.pdf> 27 Erika Ibrahim, “Migrant women workers in Canada continue to face barriers to abortion access: advocates ”, The Canadian Press (28 May 2022). Accessible online at: https://globalnews.ca/news/8876954/migrant-women-canada- abortion-access-barrier/

Page 12 of 23 regulated supply chains, it is imperative that the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act take an inclusive, non-discriminatory approach. The Bill should stipulate the Government of Canada’s commitment to seeing all workers and communities benefit from the building of a net-zero economy in Canada, and to collaborating with all workers in Canada, not exclusively Canadian workers. The needs of workers from the Global South who contribute to the Canadian economy by working for Canadian companies operating abroad should not be forgotten either.

Regarding Canada's responsibilities abroad, it is also important to ensure legislation aligns with and does not contradict Canada’s international obligations to respect and uphold the human rights of workers in the supply chains of Canadian companies. Over a decade ago, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights28, however to date, Canada has failed to prevent human rights abuses in corporate supply chains and operations abroad.

Canada should therefore ensure that any just transition legislation leads to a strong legislative due diligence framework that holds corporations accountable for undertaking mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence, the authoritative global approach to prevent abuse and provide remedy.29 The imperative of taking an inclusive approach that addresses Canadian and all other workers contributing to Canada’s economy is of particular importance given the recent findings of the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, upon their visit to Canada, which include the following: [C]ertain categories of migrant workers are made vulnerable to contemporary forms of slavery in Canada. . .

In particular, . . . the agricultural and low-wage streams of the Temporary Foreign Workers Programme (TFWP) constitute a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery. . . People of African descent experience social and economic exclusion that puts them at risk of contemporary forms of slavery.

The root causes of contemporary forms of slavery such as poverty, inequality and discrimination, which have been amplified by the legacy of colonialism and racism, must be tackled more seriously if Canada is to establish and maintain a truly inclusive society.30 Migrant workers, including women migrant care workers, identified appalling working and living conditions, 28 United National Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (OHCHR 2011), online: <https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/guidingprinciplesbusinesshr_en.pdf >. 29 For more information on Canada and responsible supply chains and women’s rights, see: <https://www.oxfam.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Submission-Standing-Committee-Foreign-Affairs- International-Development-on-Bill-S-211.pdf>. 30 Tomoya Obokata, End of Mission Statement: Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences (OHCHR, 2023), online: <https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/slavery/sr/statements/eom -statement-canada-sr-slavery- 2023-09-06.pdf>.

Page 13 of 23 including excessive working hours, being obliged to perform extracontractual tasks, physically dangerous tasks, low wages, no overtime pay, being denied access to healthcare and/or transport to medical facilities, limited access to social services including services for newcomers, and language courses, as well as sexual harassment, intimidation, and violence at the hands of their employers and their family.31 The Special Rapporteur’s key recommendations for Canada include the following: ● strengthen human rights due diligence with serious consideration given to mandatory due diligence; ● include migrant workers in all decision making affecting their wellbeing; and ● collect disaggregated data on contemporary forms of slavery, with particular emphasis on vulnerable populations.

Given the prevalence of temporary foreign workers in Canada’s labour market, including in key sectors impacted by climate change – such as agriculture, construction and manufacturing – Bill C-50 must incorporate a human rights-based approach. This can be done by making reference to Canada’s international obligations under core international human rights instruments and fundamental conventions of the ILO aimed at preventing discrimination against women, forced labour, child labour, and labour exploitation, and securing workers’ rights, as proposed below. 4.

Fundamental principles and rights at work Recommendation #7: Integrate all ILO Conventions on fundamental principles and rights at work that Canada has ratified. Recommendation #8: Expand guiding principles to include (1) rights at work, (2) respect and promotion of the right to a healthy environment, (3) restriction of pollution from fossil fuels in frontline communities, (4) safeguarding of intergenerational equity, and (5) eradication of poverty. The ILO Guidelines referred to in Bill C-50 emphasize that just transition policies must respect, promote, and realize fundamental principles and rights at work.

ILO Conventions on fundamental principles and rights at work that have been ratified by Canada include: ● Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) ● Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) ● Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) ● Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105) 31 Ibid.

Page 14 of 23 ● Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) ● Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) ● Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) ● Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) The Bill makes reference to rights at work, without defining what is included under the scope of the term. It is critical to explicitly incorporate into the

preamble of Bill C-50 the ILO Conventions on fundamental principles and rights at work.

In particular, we suggest referring to the Equal Remuneration Convention of the ILO, ratified by Canada in 1972, which clearly identifies the obligation for “equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value”, without discrimination.32 Additionally, while the guiding principles specify that a sustainable jobs approach should be inclusive and address barriers to employment faced by equity-seeking groups, there is no mention of ensuring that the benefits of decarbonization are shared with underprivileged communities.

The principles outlined are narrow in scope and do not recognize the need to restrict fossil-fuel pollution in frontline communities, the need to ensure greater job security for all workers affected by global warming and climate change policies, including women and people of diverse gender identities, or the need to safeguard intergenerational equity. 5. Sustainable development Recommendation #9: Incorporate principles of sustainable jobs, sustainable development and the right to a healthy environment. Recommendation #10: Replace the term “economic growth” with “sustainable development” in the legislation.

Recommendation #11: Include animal agriculture as a key sector that Canada should transition away from, alongside other polluting industries. It is important to note that Bill C-50 does not provide a definition of “sustainable jobs”. Its focus on economic growth instead of sustainable development and its failure to incorporate in a meaningful way the objective of sustainable development are not in alignment with either the ILO Guidelines or the Paris Agreement.

In this regard, the ILO Guidelines note: Sustainable development means that the needs of the present generation should be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 32 International Labour Organization, Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100). Accessible online at: <https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_Ilo_Code:C100 >

Page 15 of 23 Sustainable development has three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – which are interrelated, of equal importance and must be addressed together.33 Without incorporating, in its

definitions or guiding principles, the realization of rights at work or sustainable development, the current formulation of Bill C-50 does not provide critical reference points for “sustainable jobs” beyond economic growth.34 As a result, the proposed legislation falls short of recognizing “the intrinsic relationship that climate change actions, responses and impacts have with equitable access to sustainable development and eradication of poverty,”35 as underscored in the Paris Agreement. The eradication of poverty is not at all addressed in Bill C-50.

This omission has a disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups who are more likely to experience poverty, including single mothers, trans people, Black and other racialized people, Indigenous people, refugees and recent immigrants.36 Additionally, Bill C-50 sets out, in

preamble, principles that will guide “Canada’s approach to building a net-zero economy”. It is concerning that the principles enlisted do not include respect and promotion of the right to a healthy environment, which the Government of Canada has a duty to protect when administering the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the legislation under which it derives its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, sustainable development and just transition must go beyond a single focus on oil and gas and address other industries that disproportionately produce greenhouse gas emissions.

Animal agriculture, in particular, has devastating impacts on climate change.37 Reasons to address the animal products industries in a just transition plan include that: • the meat industry has one of the highest rates of occupational injury;38 • animal agriculture industries engage in egregious human rights violations through the exploitation of the most marginalized workers such as women, people of color, and undocumented immigrants,39 33 ILO, “Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all” (Switzerland, International Labour Organization, 2015). 34 On the problems with the economic growth model in the context of planetary boundaries and finite resources, see for example Anders Wijkman & Johan Rockström, Bankrupting nature: Denying our planetary boundaries (Routledge, 2013). 35 Supra note 11. 36 Census in Brief Disaggregated trends in poverty from the 2021 Census of Population .

Census of Population, 2021. Accessible online at <https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/as-sa/98-200-x/2021009/98-200- x2021009-eng.pdf>. 37Oliver Milman, “Meat accounts for nearly 60% of all greenhouse gases from food production, study finds ,” The Guardian (13 September 2021). Accessible online at: <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/13/meat-greenhouses-gases-food-production-study>. 38 Human Rights Watch, “When We’re Dead and Buried, Our Bones Will Keep Hurting Workers’ Rights Under Threat in US Meat and Poultry Plants”, Human Rights Watch (4 September 2019).

Accessible online at: <https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/09/04/when-were-dead-and-buried-our-bones-will-keep- hurting/workers-rights-under-threat>. 39 Ibid.

Page 16 of 23 • animal agriculture is directly responsible for the emergence and spread of deadly pandemics which will continue to worsen the care crisis (75% of all new infectious diseases are passed from animals to humans).40 Therefore, divesting subsidies from this industry and implementing plans to help farmers transition to plant-based food production (as was done in relation to tobacco farming) could be invaluable in addressing the climate crisis in a feminist and intersectional way. 6.

Monitoring, transparency, and accountability Recommendation #12: Strengthen the accountability framework within the legislation by requiring regular engagement with marginalized groups, gender- disaggregated data collection, and public reporting in an accessible manner. Strong monitoring, transparency, and accountability is needed. A bold, intersectional, and actionable accountability framework must accompany action plans to ensure impact and action.

Local agendas of frontline communities, including feminist grassroots groups and Indigenous peoples, should inform commitments made under the sustainable jobs framework and action plan(s). Data must be accessible, jargon-free, and disaggregated by gender, including those identifying as non-binary. Historically excluded groups must be involved in the design and implementation of key actions. Regular reporting and a mechanism for meaningful engagement on said reporting is paramount for transparency and accountability.

Numerous equity-seeking groups and women’s rights organizations have pioneered the application of a feminist approach to monitoring and accountability. While there is not one definition of what a feminist approach entails, more often than not, approaches include intentionality, addressing power dynamics, inclusivity, participation, capacity-building and elevating the voices of those more vulnerable.41 40 Silvia Mantilla, “Bridging the Gap: The Central Role of Animal Welfare in Pandemic Prevention ”, IISD, 13 September 2023.

Accessible online at: <https://sdg.iisd.org/commentary/guest-articles/bridging-the-gap-the-central- role-of-animal-welfare-in-pandemic-prevention/>. 41 See for example, Global Fund for Women: https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/feminist-accountability- generation-equality-forum/; OXFAM, Feminist Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) : https://www.oxfam.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Oxfam-Canada-Feminist-MEAL-Guidance-Note-English.pdf and Wyatt, Alyna, et al. (2021), Feminist Approaches to Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning: Overview of Current Practices Equality Fund & Genesis Analytics, June 2021.

Accessible online at: https://equalityfund.ca/wp- content/uploads/2021/09/Feminist-MEL-Research-Overview-Paper-FINAL-1.pdf

Page 17 of 23 Detailed proposed amendments Bill C-50 Proposed amendments

Preamble . . .

Whereas the Government of Canada is committed to seeing Canadians benefit from and contribute to the building of a net-zero economy; . . .

Whereas the Government of Canada recognizes and supports the International Labour Organization’s Resolution Concerning Sustainable Development, Decent Work and Green Jobs adopted by the International Labour Conference in June 2013 and the associated guidelines on sustainable economies endorsed by the International Labour Organization’s Governing Body through a decision adopted on November 5, 2015; . . .

Preamble . . .

Whereas the Government of Canada is committed to seeing all individuals in Canada benefit from and contribute to the building of a net-zero economy; [recommendation #6] . . .

Whereas the Government of Canada recognizes and supports the International Labour Organization’s Resolution Concerning Sustainable Development, Decent Work and Green Jobs adopted by the International Labour Conference in June 2013 and the associated guidelines on sustainable economies endorsed by the International Labour Organization’s Governing Body through a decision adopted on November 5, 2015, as well as the International Labour Organization’s Conventions on fundamental principles and rights at work which Canada has ratified, including Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98), Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105), Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100), Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138), and Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182). [recommendation #7]

Whereas the Government of Canada recognizes the gendered impacts of climate change and is committed to upholding women’s rights and addressing gender-based violence in the

Page 18 of 23

Whereas the Government of Canada’s approach to building a net-zero economy will be guided by the following principles: (

a) adequate, informed and ongoing dialogue on a labour force and people- centered sustainable jobs approach should engage relevant stakeholders and partners, including through social dialogue, to build strong social consensus in the shift to a net-zero economy; (

b) policies and programs in support of sustainable jobs should (

i) support the creation of decent work, meaning good-paying, high-quality jobs — including jobs in which workers are represented by a trade union — as well as job security, social protection and social dialogue, (ii) recognize local and regional needs, (iii) account for the cultural values, strengths and potential of workers and communities, and (iv) provide an environment in which enterprises, workers, investors and consumers can contribute to achieving sustainable and inclusive economies and societies; (

c) a sustainable jobs approach should be inclusive and address barriers to employment with an emphasis on encouraging the creation of employment opportunities for groups underrepresented in the labour market, including women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, Black and other racialized individuals, 2SLGBTQI+ and other equity- seeking groups; and process of building a net-zero economy. [recommendation #4] …

Whereas the Government of Canada’s approach to building a net-zero economy will be guided by the following principles: (

a) adequate, informed and ongoing dialogue on a labour force and people- centered sustainable jobs approach should engage relevant stakeholders and partners, including through social dialogue, to build strong social consensus in the shift to a net-zero economy; (

b) policies and programs in support of sustainable jobs should (

i) support the creation of jobs that are compatible with a net-zero emissions economy and with sustainable development, and that restrict pollution in frontline communities, (ii) support the creation of decent work, meaning good-paying, high-quality jobs that involve the realization of the rights at work recognized in the International Labour Organizations’ Conventions ratified by Canada — including jobs in which workers are represented by a trade union — as well as job security, social protection and social dialogue, (iii) safeguard intergenerational equity, (iv) recognize local and regional needs, (

v) account for the cultural values, strengths and potential of workers and communities, and (vi) provide an environment in which enterprises, workers, investors and consumers can contribute to achieving sustainable and inclusive economies and societies; [recommendation #8] (

c) a sustainable jobs approach should be inclusive and address barriers to

Page 19 of 23 (

d) international cooperation should foster strengthened global efforts to advance the creation of sustainable jobs and ensure a level playing field and inform Canadian approaches to support workers and communities in the shift to a net-zero economy; . . . employment with an emphasis on eradicating poverty and encouraging the creation of employment opportunities for groups underrepresented in the labour market, including women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, Black and other racialized individuals, 2SLGBTQI+ and other equity-seeking groups; it should ensure that the benefits of the transition to a net-zero economy are equitably shared and support populations most affected by climate change disruptions, and [recommendation #8] (

d) international cooperation should seek to fulfill Canada’s obligations under

Article 9 of the Paris Agreement, foster more equality between the Global North and the Global South, and foster strengthened global efforts to advance the creation of sustainable jobs and ensure a level playing field and inform Canadian approaches to support workers and communities in the shift to a net-zero economy; [related to recommendation #3 with regard to workers outside of Canada] . . .

Whereas the Government of Canada recognizes the right to a healthy environment, adopted in 2023 into the Canadian Environmental Protection Act; [recommendation #9] . . .

Purpose 3 The purpose of this Act is to facilitate and promote economic growth, the creation of sustainable jobs and support for workers and communities in Canada in the shift to a net-zero economy through a framework to ensure transparency, accountability, engagement and action by relevant federal entities, including those focused — at the national and regional Purpose 3 The purpose of this Act is to facilitate and promote sustainable development, the creation of sustainable jobs and support for workers and communities in Canada in the shift to a net-zero economy through a framework to ensure transparency, accountability, engagement and action by relevant federal entities, including those focused — at the national and regional

Page 20 of 23 level — on matters such as skills development, the labour market, rights at work, economic development and emissions reduction. level — on matters such as skills development, the labour market, rights at work, economic development and emissions reduction. [recommendation #9] Responsibilities 7 The Council’s responsibilities include (

a) advising the Minister and specified Ministers on strategies and measures to encourage growth in good-paying, high- quality jobs — including jobs in which workers are represented by a trade union — in a net-zero economy; (

b) advising the Minister and specified Ministers on ways to address labour force impacts, support workers and create opportunities for workers in the shift to a net-zero economy; (

c) advising the Minister and specified Ministers on the collection and overall quality of data related to economic growth and the labour market in a net-zero economy; (

d) advising the Minister and specified Ministers on the effectiveness of relevant policies and programs; (

e) engaging relevant partners and stakeholders in accordance with the terms of reference; and (

f) addressing any matter or undertaking any activity provided for in the terms of reference or requested by the Minister under

section 14 or 15. Responsibilities 7 The Council’s responsibilities include (

a) advising the Minister and specified Ministers on strategies and measures to encourage a transition away from animal agriculture as well as growth in good- paying, high-quality jobs — including jobs in which workers are represented by a trade union — in a net-zero economy; [recommendation #11] (

b) advising the Minister and specified Ministers on ways to address labour force impacts, support workers and create opportunities for workers in the shift to a net-zero economy; (

c) advising the Minister and specified Ministers on the collection and overall quality of data related to economic growth and the labour market in a net-zero economy; (

d) advising the Minister and specified Ministers on the effectiveness of relevant policies and programs, including their effect on women working within and outside of the formal economy, the impacts of specific industries on women’s economic equality, and their impact on violence against women, notably Indigenous women; [related to recommendation #1] (

e) engaging relevant partners and stakeholders in accordance with the terms of reference, including engaging in consultations with women’s rights organizations and advocates, including women’s trade union representatives and women’s committees; and [recommendation #3] (

f) addressing any matter or undertaking any activity provided for in the terms of

Page 21 of 23 reference or requested by the Minister under

section 14 or 15. Composition and appointment 8

(1) The Council consists of no more than 15 members, including two co-chairs, who are to be appointed by the Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister, to hold office on a part-time basis and at pleasure for a renewable term of up to three years. Factors

(2) When making a recommendation respecting the appointment of members, the Minister is to take into consideration (

a) the importance of having members that reflect Canada’s diversity — including its regional diversity — and underrepresented groups; (

b) the importance of having a balance of members who represent labour, Indigenous organizations and industry; and (

c) the need for members who have knowledge, expertise or experience in one or more of the following: (

i) the key sectors impacted by the shift to a net-zero economy, (ii) the types of issues facing workers in the shift to a net-zero economy, including issues related to industrial change and technological transformation, (iii) the representation of unionized workers, (iv) the Indigenous knowledge of Indigenous peoples, (

v) climate change and climate policy at the regional, national and international levels, (vi) economic and labour market analysis and forecasting, (vii) skills development, training and retraining initiatives at the regional and national levels, and (viii) the governance of advisory boards or committees. Composition and appointment 8

(1) The Council consists of no more than 15 members, including two co-chairs, who are to be appointed by the Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister, to hold office on a part-time basis and at pleasure for a renewable term of up to three years. Factors

(2) When making a recommendation respecting the appointment of members, the Minister is to take into consideration (

a) the importance of having members that reflect Canada’s diversity — including its regional diversity — and underrepresented groups; (

b) the importance of having a balance of members who represent labour, Indigenous organizations and industry; and (

c) the need for members who have knowledge, expertise or experience in one or more of the following: (

i) the key sectors impacted by the shift to a net-zero economy, (ii) the impacts of key sectors, such as oil and gas and animal agriculture, on the climate crisis, [recommendation #11] (iii) the types of issues facing workers in the shift to a net-zero economy, including issues related to industrial change and technological transformation, (iv) the representation of unionized workers, (

v) the needs and contributions of migrant workers [recommendation #5] (vi) the needs and contribution of female workers, including through the care economy, [recommendation #1] (vii) the Indigenous knowledge of Indigenous peoples, (viii) climate change and climate policy at the regional, national and international levels,

Page 22 of 23 (ix) economic and labour market analysis and forecasting, (

x) skills development, training and retraining initiatives at the regional and national levels, (xi) the governance of advisory boards or committees, and (xii) the needs of populations and communities most affected by climate change, including women, Indigenous women, and migrant populations. [recommendation #2] Sustainable Jobs Action Plan 16

(1) The Minister must prepare a Sustainable Jobs Action Plan no later than December 31, 2025 and must prepare a new Plan no later than December 31 of every fifth year after that. . . . Contents

(3) Each Plan must (

a) outline how the federal government will facilitate and promote economic growth, the creation of sustainable jobs and support for workers and communities in the shift to a net-zero economy over the following five-year period; (

b) set out the measures that the Minister, specified Ministers and other relevant federal ministers have identified to be implemented, the milestones to be achieved by the federal entities for which they are responsible and the ways in which those ministers will implement those measures; (

c) include a

summary of available data related to economic growth and the labour market in a net-zero economy; and (

d) in the case of subsequent Plans, describe the progress made towards achieving the milestones under the previous Plans. Sustainable Jobs Action Plan 16

(1) The Minister must prepare a Sustainable Jobs Action Plan no later than December 31, 2025 and must prepare a new Plan no later than December 31 of every fifth year after that. . . . Contents

(3) Each Plan must (

a) outline how the federal government will facilitate and promote sustainable development, the creation of sustainable jobs and support for workers and communities in the shift to a net-zero economy over the following five-year period; [recommendation #9] (

b) set out the measures that the Minister, specified Ministers and other relevant federal ministers have identified to be implemented, the milestones to be achieved by the federal entities for which they are responsible and the ways in which those ministers will implement those measures; (

c) set out how the Minister, specified Ministers and other relevant federal ministers will engage with marginalized communities, collect gender- and sex- disaggregated data, and report progress in an accessible manner; [recommendation #12] (

d) include a

summary of available data related to economic growth, Canada’s

Page 23 of 23 progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, and the labour market in a net-zero economy; and [recommendation #9] (

e) in the case of subsequent Plans, describe the progress made towards achieving the milestones under the previous Plans. About our organizations The David Suzuki Foundation is a national, bilingual non-profit organization founded in 1990 and headquartered in Vancouver, with offices in Toronto and Montreal. Our mission is to protect nature’s diversity and the well-being of all life, now and for the future. Our vision is that we all act every day on the understanding that we are one with nature.

Through evidence-based research, education and policy analysis, we work to conserve and protect the natural environment, and help create a sustainable Canada. We regularly collaborate with non-profit and community organizations, all levels of government, businesses and individuals. The National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL) works to achieve substantive equality and the realization of human rights for all women in Canada through legal education, research, strategic intervention, coalition work, and feminist law reform advocacy, particularly at the federal level.

Since our founding in 1974, we are proud to have had a major role in achieving significant milestones for Canadian women’s equality, and for our feminist legal analysis and advocacy to have impacted numerous laws and policies across the country. Today, we continue to write briefs and discussion papers, appear before Parliamentary committees, and meet with decision makers to influence the law-making process. Our three current priority areas are violence against women, reproductive justice, and women’s rights in the climate crisis.

Oxfam Canada is an affiliate of the international Oxfam Confederation networked in 87 countries as part of a global movement for change. Our mission is to build lasting solutions to poverty and injustice with a focus on improving the lives and promoting the rights of women and girls. We work directly with communities, partners and women’s rights organizations to challenge the systems that perpetuate inequality and keep people poor. Together we seek to influence those in power to ensure that women trapped in poverty have a say in the critical decisions that affect them, their families and entire communities.

We believe that ending global poverty begins with women’s rights.